Boater Jerry Brumfield of Cumming, Georgia, and Strike King Co-Angler Jonathan Gregory of Somerset, Kentucky, were champions at the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine on Lake Lanier.
GAINESVILLE, Ga. (Feb. 28, 2022) – Boater Jerry Brumfield of Cumming, Georgia, caught five bass Saturday weighing 20 pounds, 2 ounces, to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine on Lake Lanier. The tournament was the season-opener for the Bass Fishing League Bulldog Division. Brumfield earned $6,000 for his victory.
“The day started off a little sluggish,” Brumfield said. “After the first hour and a half I didn’t have anything, so I had to make a move.”
Brumfield said he practiced for three weeks before the tournament, and for the most part had success. But Brumfield said the week leading up to the event was a different story.
“They moved on me,” Brumfield said. “I had holes I had caught big fish on, so I moved to them. And then at 11 o’clock I had 18 pounds.”
Brumfield credits his win in large part to his Garmin Panoptix LiveScope he used to locate fish, and a Keitech Swim Jig to provoke strikes in 30 to 42 feet of water.
“At 2:30 I caught one that upgraded me 2 pounds,” Brumfield said. “I told my co-angler, ‘I just won this tournament.’”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Jerry Brumfield, Cumming, Ga., five bass, 20-2, $6,000
2nd: Will Harkins, Blairsville, Ga., five bass, 19-13, $3,000
3rd: Grant Kelly, Milledgeville, Ga., five bass, 19-5, $3,000
4th: Todd Anderson, Dawsonville, Ga., five bass, 18-15, $1,400
5th: Patrick Brown, Swainsboro, Ga., five bass, 18-5, $1,200
6th: Jeff Williams, Gainesville, Ga., five bass, 18-0, $1,100
7th: Alex Prince, Blue Ridge, Ga., five bass, 17-8, $1,500 (includes $500 Phoenix Bonus)
8th: Carl Smith, Lugoff, S.C., five bass, 17-7, $800
8th: Dalton Tankersley, Copperhill, Tenn., five bass, 17-7, $800
8th: Weston Parker, Mansfield, Ga., five bass, 17-7, $800
Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Kelly had a 7-pound, 3-ounce largemouth that was the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division and earned the day’s Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $1,000.
Jonathan Gregory of Somerset, Kentucky, won the Strike King Co-angler Division and $3,000 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 14 pounds, 15 ounces.
The top 10 Strike King co-anglers were:
1st: Jonathan Gregory, Somerset, Ky., five bass, 14-15, $3,000
2nd: Jarrett Vick, Archer, Fla., five bass, 14-14, $1,500
3rd: David Uselton, McDonough, Ga., five bass, 14-9, $1,200
4th: Chris Pfrogner, Dawsonville, Ga., five bass, 14-7, $650
4th: J.B. Banks, Gainesville, Ga., five bass, 14-7, $650
6th: Ryan Frazier, Stone Mountain, Ga., five bass, 13-15, $525
6th: Shane Carlton, Akron, Ohio, five bass, 13-15, $525
8th: Caleb Wyatt, Easley, S.C., five bass, 13-11, $450
9th: Ben Brisbois, Gainesville, Ga., five bass, 13-0, $400
10th: Judah Eernisse, Chapin, S.C., five bass, 12-14, $350
Jody Cook of Dawsonville, Georgia, caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 6 pounds, 9 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Berkley Big Bass Co-angler award of $500.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 6-8 Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on Lake Murray in Prosperity, S.C. Boaters will compete for a top award of $60,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard and $10,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard.
The 2022 Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six Regional Championships where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American. The 2022 All-American will be held June 2-4 at Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and is hosted by the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism and Visit Hot Springs.
The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers plus tournament winners from each Phoenix Bass Fishing League division will also earn priority entry into the MLF Toyota Series, the pathway to the MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit and ultimately the MLF Bass Pro Tour.
Proud sponsors of the 2022 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 4WP, 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, AFTCO, A.R.E. Truck Caps, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Black Rifle Coffee, E3, Epic Baits, Favorite Fishing, Gary Yamamoto Baits, General Tire, Lew’s, Lowrance, Lucas Oil, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Revital Outdoors, Strike King, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, Wiley X, YETI and Yo-Zuri.
For complete details and updated tournament information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular Bass Fishing League updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF5’s social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
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